Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam (Kidou Senshi Gundam, also known as Gundam 0079 or First Gundam) was director Yoshiyuki Tomino's seminal mecha anime series. First broadcast in 1979, MS Gundam was the first anime series that treated its giant mecha as military machines and weapons of war, in contrast to the "super robo" anime such as Mazinger that had come before it. Although it retained elements of that genre, such as support mecha and transforming parts (in the form of the G Fighter), its focus was on character development and drama. Its plot bore many parallels to World War II and it wasn't afraid to kill off characters, which it did on a regular basis. The main characters, Char Aznable and Amuro Ray are arguably two of the most recognisable icons of Japanese pop-culture - indeed, Char has been likened to Japan's equivalent of Darth Vader. The original anime consisted of 43 episodes, and the whole series was condensed, with additional footage, into three movies.

In Universal Century year 0079, the majority of humanity lives in space colonies. A group of colonies calling itself "The Principality of Zeon" has launched a war of independence from Earth. Using a new kind of weapon - giant, anthropomorphic robots known as Mobile Suits - the Zeon gain the initial upper hand, but the war has settled into a stalemate. The Earth Federation has developed its own mobile suits to counter the Zeon threat, and fate puts the ship carrying the suits into the hands of a ragtag group of inexperienced cadets and civilians, who must deliver the vital weapons to their destination to bring the war to a close. But on their tail is the legendary Zeon ace pilot, Char Aznable who has his own agenda...